STEM Professional Development Program for Nuclear Security Science and Technology Consortium

The Nevada National Security Sites (NNSS) have successfully completed three years of technical collaboration with Nuclear Security Science and Technology Consortium member minority serving institutions – University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque, University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). The program has been extended for next five years till September 2029. This oral presentation captures the technical and developmental aspect of the program in support of UNLV. The goal of this project is to develop a steady pipeline of STEM educated professionals in area of national and international nuclear security. The goal is to train university students at NNSS laboratories in studies motivated by global nuclear security topics ranging from nuclear emergency response and management to physics experiments for stockpile stewardship program. Typically, three interns from UNLV have been provided hands-on training at NNSS labs during the twelve weeks of summer each year. The process has been mutually beneficial for both the parties (NNSS and minority serving university)– NNSS has hired a large number of these interns as permanent employees, the interns have obtained invaluable hands-on experience in industrial applications of nuclear security operations.